At AquaAction, we recognize the profound connection between water security and a thriving future. This article, the first in our series exploring water's critical role across industries, underscores the urgent need for responsible water management within the transportation sector. In 2025, our commitment to a water-secure future drives our efforts to address pressing freshwater challenges throughout North America.
Water: An Essential Resource for Mobility's Future
Water is fundamental to the mobility industry, influencing every stage of production, maintenance, and operation. Understanding its crucial role is the first step toward responsible stewardship.
Consider these essential facts:
- Automotive Manufacturing: The production of a single vehicle requires, on average, over 39,000 gallons of water. Water is used in battery production, metal fabrication, painting, cooling, and cleaning – all crucial for quality and efficiency.
- Tire Production: The manufacturing of synthetic rubber, a key component of tires, relies heavily on water. Furthermore, the issue of nanoplastics shed from tires and entering our waterways through runoff causes increased pollution and adverse health effects.
- Aviation: Water plays a significant role in aircraft construction and maintenance, engine cooling, and the operation of transport facilities. According to researchers, for every aircraft movement, 1.13 cubic meters of water is used.
- Maritime Transport: Freshwater is essential for cooling ship engines and managing ballast water, ensuring vessel stability and preventing the spread of invasive species.
As the world faces increasing water scarcity – with projections of a potential global freshwater deficit of 40% by 2030 – the mobility industry must prioritize sustainable water practices.
Water Conservation: A Holistic Approach 
Water's importance extends beyond its direct use in manufacturing. Mismanagement can lead to severe environmental consequences. Fortunately, many companies are embracing innovative strategies to minimize their water footprint. Recent auto shows, for example, have showcased electric vehicles and resource-efficient manufacturing processes, signaling a positive shift towards sustainability.
By implementing circular economy principles, optimizing recycling processes, and minimizing wastewater, companies can significantly reduce their environmental impact while simultaneously improving operational efficiency.
Collaborative Innovation for Sustainable Solutions
Addressing these complex challenges requires collaboration. Companies within the mobility sector are partnering with innovators to develop sustainable water management solutions.
For example:
Automotive Manufacturing: Many automakers are working to reduce their water use and improve water stewardship, including:
- Ford has reduced water use by 70% since the turn of the millennium. Ford aims to make zero water withdrawals for manufacturing and only use freshwater for human consumption.
- General Motors (GM) aims to reduce water use intensity by 35% by 2035.
- BMW Group uses innovative technologies and more efficient processes to reduce water consumption.
Tire Production: Tire companies like Bridgestone, Continental, and Nokian Tyres are demonstrating leadership in water sustainability and have implemented water recycling, reduced water consumption, and improved water quality.
- Bridgestone Sao Paolo plant in Brazil recycles over half of its water for cooling and boilers.
- Continental uses 55% less water than the industry average, and aims to use 100% sustainably produced materials by 2050.
- Nokian Tyres uses municipal water for cooling, and then returns it to a wastewater treatment plant. The company also performs water risk assessments to ensure it doesn't operate in water stressed areas.
Aviation: Some thought leaders in sustainable aviation include:
- IndiGo, India’s preferred airline has partnered with Swedish innovation company Altered, to fit its fleet of aircraft with innovative nozzles for taps and faucets that can help reduce on-board water consumption by up to 98%.
- Alaska Airlines announced five-year goals in 2021 to offset 100% of its operational water use through investments in high-quality habitat projects.
- Mingo Aerospace created a closed-loop wastewater recycling system that treats potentially hazardous process wastewater for reuse rather than discharging it, protects local waterways in Oklahoma, and reduces water use by 189 cubic meters (50,000 gallons) per year.
Maritime: Some thought leaders in sustainable maritime include:
- Maersk, undertook an innovative project that could store and deliver freshwater from vessels to ports. Cargo ships are equipped with freshwater generator systems that produce clean drinking water by distilling sea water using heat energy harnessed from their engines. This innovative project optimizes the process and storing of excess water in tank containers before delivering it to ports.
- Cargill global ambition is to enable a water positive impact across their operations, supply chains, and communities by 2030. They define a water positive impact as improving watershed health by addressing the shared water challenges of availability, quality, and access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). By 2030, Cargill will:
- Operations: Implement water stewardship practices at all priority facilities.
- Supply Chains: Enable restoration of 600 billion liters of water and reduction of 5,000 metric tons of water pollutants in water-stressed regions.
- Communities: Enable improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation, reaching 500,000 people in priority communities
- Operations: Implement water stewardship practices at all priority facilities.
These collaborative efforts drive technological advancement and foster a fundamental shift within the industry towards greater environmental responsibility.
A Path Forward: Building a Water-Secure Future Together
At AquaAction, we firmly believe that innovation, collaboration, and responsible water management are essential to transforming the mobility industry. We are eager to work with the mobility industry to identify sustainability water practices that minimize environmental footprint, enhance operational efficiency, and contribute to economic growth.
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